Merlin’s ruddy eyebrows climbed up into his bangs. “You can’t just email him your report?”
“Are you kidding? He’s a vampire. He wants the feel of paper.”
“Wow, Mr. Pizer isn’t that way.”
“Then he must be a very young vampire,” I said and left.
As I walked to the network center I thought about the calcification that eventually overtook all vampires. They claimed it was a good thing, but I wondered if it hid an underlying concern. The world was moving so fast today, and it was important to keep up. They would never admit that, however; they presented their hidebound habits as a way to revere and honor the past, which was why you found them most often in the law or curating at museums—in fact, the newest head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was a vampire. Once they’d gone public they tried to broaden their involvement in the world. There had been a few efforts to have them teach history, but these hadn’t worked out so well. The bustle of a campus and the manic desperation of undergraduates—
But did that bode ill for the future of the country, and maybe even the planet, when you had people with such hidebound and conservative outlooks assuming open positions of power? Not that the Powers hadn’t pulled the strings of politicians, kings, and potentates long before they went public, but their interest had been in staying protected and hidden. Now that they were giving interviews on Fox and CNN, would that increased visibility have an impact on society’s attitudes? Make humans more cautious and conservative? Some problems required nimbleness and risk taking to solve, and neither of those were a vampire’s strong suit.
I pulled my summation out of the printer and headed into David’s office. It was very sleek and modern, with a wallpaper that looked like beige silk and abstract art on the walls. David was making notes on a yellow legal pad. I took note of the pen he was using. It was a ballpoint. Both Shade and Meredith used fountain pens. Guess it was too hard to get quills these days. The errant little thought gave me a quick chuckle.
David looked up. “What?”
“Nothing.” I laid the report on his desk. “And the human actors are definitely getting the short end of this particular stick.”
“But should they be offered redress?” David asked.
“Affirmative action has a long and…”
“Checkered career?” David asked. “It was necessary to ease the injustice of Jim Crow, but can it, should it, be applied in this situation?”
“And if we rule that way, are we suggesting that all humans are a protected class,” I said.
He indicated a chair, a modern affair that looked more like art than furniture, with about the same comfort level. I sat and we contemplated each other in silence for a few minutes.
“It’s early days. We haven’t heard enough to make any kind of judgment, much less suggest a remedy,” I said.
“Agreed.”
“Look, David, can we talk to the New York office and see about my renting an apartment? I gotta be honest, I hate living in hotels, even one as nice as the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
“I don’t want to leave the hotel,” he said, his expression mulish.
“And I’m not suggesting you should.
“There was one in New York, but the attorney general’s office figured out it was actually a cover for a high- priced prostitution ring. They got busted.” I chuckled. “It’s not funny,” he said. “It’s actually an interesting business idea, but now it will be years before anyone tries it again.” He looked out the heavily tinted windows where the rays of the setting sun looked like physical spikes. “Los Angeles is a big city, but inside it’s a small town. Even after forty years we’re not well accepted here. Maybe not anywhere.”
“A million years of evolution tells us humans that you’re predators and we’re prey,” I said quietly. “We can intellectualize all we want, but the fear is still there, living down deep. And there’s fault on both sides. You guys have this distant, disengaged attitude when you deal with humans. Which adds to the feeling that you don’t actually see us as anything but prey.”
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, and there was something behind the words that I couldn’t quite interpret.
“No, of course not. I—” I broke off. I owed him honesty rather than platitudes. “Yes, sometimes I’m afraid. When one of you walks up on me and I don’t hear you coming. It helps if I have time to prepare.”
“Even with me?”
“Yes.”
“Even after being fostered.”
I held out one hand. “A million years of evolution.” I held out the other. “Ten years living in a vampire household.” I made a balancing gesture. “Which do you think wins?”
He slapped his hands onto the desk and stood up. “I think it’s quitting time.” It was an abrupt end to an odd conversation that had clearly discomfited him. “And yes.”
“Yes what?”
“Go get an apartment. I’ll clear it with New York.”
“Thanks.” I also stood. “It will be cheaper.”
While I arranged for a rental car, and investigated the Barham Oakwood, I also snagged an appointment with the district attorney. Henry Jacobs was an older African American man who towered over me. I couldn’t help it. I gaped up at him.
He laughed and guided me to a chair. “Yes, I really am six-foot-ten. I played basketball for the Lakers, blew out my knee, and decided I didn’t really want to be a coach. So law school, and…,” he looked around the office, “and this.”
The space had the usual accoutrements of a DA’s office—diplomas and pictures of Jacobs shaking hands with various nationally known politicians—but the desk and several chairs were also piled high with files. This was a DA who was clearly hands-on, and not just a blow-dried politician pretending to be a lawyer.
“Sorry, I should have heard of you,” I said.
“Unless you’re a basketball fanatic and a lot older than you look I don’t know why you should.” Jacobs perched on the front of his desk and smiled at me. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering how you got Kerrinan out of Fey? I’m trying to do something similar. Well, not exactly, the man I’m trying to extricate isn’t a criminal, but he is trapped.” I gave him the rundown on John’s situation.
He heard me out, then gave a slow shake of his head. “Well, I wish I could claim some insight, or brilliant legal trick, but the truth is there’s some kind of powerful Alfar Council in charge over there, and they forced Kerrinan to return. It was a smart decision. If human folks got the idea the Alfar are above the law … well, it wouldn’t sit well, and there’s growing tension about the Alfar out here, and not just inside SAG.”
“Damn. That was what I got from the Justice Department and the DA in New York. There should be some kind of extradition agreement,” I said.
“Yeah, but then a human who harms an Alfar on this side could potentially get hauled to Fey to stand trial, and I’m not sure how many constitutional protections they would have. Also, do they get an Alfar attorney? Haven’t heard of any. The whole thing on that side seems fairly medieval to me,” Jacobs said.
“Yeah, John’s mother is referred to as a queen. I have no idea what that actually means.”
“And the Alfar aren’t real forthcoming about their customs and institutions.”
“Gee, how is that any different from the other Powers?” I asked, and we shared a laugh, though mine was rather hollow.
“I’m afraid this is a problem for politicians and diplomats,” Jacobs said. “Clearly something needs to be done as more and more Alfar get involved in our world. Some kind of conflict of law has to apply.”
“Yeah, well, politicians aren’t known for their burning desire to take on tough problems,” I said with a sigh. I stood and held out my hand. “Thank you for your time.”
“Not a problem. I just wish I had a solution to offer. Seems to me that high-powered law firm ought to be
